Professor Davis said overseas studies showed that a stroke ambulance could save between 30 and 45 minutes in treating the patient.

"The golden hour, the first 60 minutes is the key statistic," he said.

"We can only treat 2 or 3 per cent within the golden hour now, with this [the ambulance] we can treat up to 40 per cent.

"If we can get the patient early and we can dissolve the blood clot that's causing the stroke, it can make the difference between someone ending up with severe paralysis or speech impairment requiring assistance for day-to-day living, versus someone that can go home."

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in Australia, and one in six people in Victoria will have a stroke in their lifetime.

The condition causes more deaths than breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the Government would invest $7.5 million into the trial as part of its plan to improve ambulance response times.

"When it comes to the stroke ambulance, every second will save a brain and a life," she said.

Quick response helped stroke sufferer

Iain Sim, 61, had a stroke while socialising at his local football club in Essendon.